I'll Be There
by TheEmberRaven
Summary: The X-men pick up a strange girl who doesn't seem to know any English. Kurt knows her language, bonds with her, and they quickly become close. Kitty gets jealous. No body touches her fuzzy blue elf. Teen for…stuff.
1. Surprises

**I'll Be There **

**Summary:** The X-men pick up a strange girl who doesn't seem to know any English. Kurt knows her language, bonds with her, and they quickly become close. Kitty gets jealous. No body touches her fuzzy blue elf. Teen for…stuff.

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-men Evolution, but I do own my little made up character. Mwwahaha nobody can do anything about it!**

oOo

**Chapter 1:**

The X-men were scattered all over the mansion, playing, reading, fighting, whatever. It was Saturday, so nobody had any work to do. The students were all thrilled. The teachers, meanwhile, were dealing with more serious matters. The Professor had located a new mutant, just outside of Bayville. He or she was moving all over the place, as if running or being chased. They were using their powers on and off, but it was enough for the Professor to track them. Wolverine was standing next to the Professor. Storm was hovering behind them both, staring over their shoulders.

"I don't like this, Chuck," Wolverine said in his raspy voice. "This guy's moving around like crazy. I wouldn't doubt they're being chased. Nobody just hops all over a city like that for fun."

Charles nodded. "I'm aware of that, Logan. I can't reach their mind yet, but I can feel their fear. It would seem likely that our mystery mutant is being pursued in some way."

"Should we go get them?" Storm asked, standing up on her tiptoes to see over Logan's broad shoulder.

The Professor crinkled his brow in thought. "Hard to say. This mutant is afraid, unstable. This might not be the best time to come and collect them. I can't figure out what their power is, exactly. It could be dangerous."

"C'mon Charles," Wolverine urged. "We're supposed to help mutants, and this sure looks t' me like a mutant who needs help. Are we gonna stand around all day and guess about what t' do?"

The Professor raised a calm hand to cut him off. "Easy, Logan. I think we should go investigate this, and, if needed, offer them help and support. I want Storm to go, though, with a small team of two of three. It's best to avoid a large group in this situation."

"And I can't go because…?" Wolverine wondered cockily.

The Professor turned his chair around to face him. He laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his clasped hands. "Because, Logan. You're presence is not particularly….calming. You're large and imposing. We don't want to scare away a potential student," he explained as tactfully as possible. Logan snorted and backed off. He crossed his huge arms and sighed.

"All right, I'll stay," he groaned. "Whatever. Have fun, Storm."

Storm passed by Logan on her way out of the room. As she passed him she said, "Have fun? This is a rescue mission. See, this is why we can't take you anywhere."

Logan chuckled and followed her out.

~Five minutes later~

Storm, keeping the Professor's words in mind, had chosen Jean (a telepath would be helpful, and Jean had a way with people) and Scott to accompany her. Scott's powers weren't ideal for making peace, but he tended to have a commanding, but not overpowering presence about him. Besides, she wanted a guy on the team. They could be up against anything.

They got into the X-jet and left at once.

~Just outside of Bayville city limits~

The X-jet landed in a small field where no one would see it. Storm, Jean, and Scott filed out and looked around. They were near the fringes of the city, away from the main group of buildings. It was evening, growing dark, calm. Storm whipped out a communicator.

"Professor, can you tell us where we need to be? We're about a mile outside of the city. Here's our coordinates."

The Professor took the coordinates and plugged them in to his computer. "Ok. You need to go about half a mile northeast. I think I've identified our mutant's powers. She seems to be able to alter the laws of physics around her. She can take away or change gravity and alter wind resistance, among other things. It's strange, but that's the best I can come up with."

Storm nodded slowly. "Alright. We'll head in that direction." And she motioned for Jean and Scott to follow her.

The three entered the edge of the city, which was slum-like and grungy. It was dark, smoky. The air was heavy and the streets were poorly lit. Storm was glad she'd brought Scott. As much as she believed in womanpower, she felt threatened, insecure. It was comforting to think she had a big, strong guy with her. Jean was thinking similar thoughts.

They picked their way through the backstreets until they all heard a loud crash. Jean turned her head in the general direction and probed around with her mind. She picked up several people's thoughts. Angry, wild thoughts from two or three people. Frightened, erratic thoughts from one other. Aha, the mutant. Jean focused on her mind, trying to locate it.

"Guys, I found her," she altered the others. Storm shot her a quick glance.

"Where?"

"Uh, about three hundred feet west of here. There's an alley way…"

"There's lots of alleys around here," Scott pointed out. "Be more specific."

Jean tried again. "It's hard. Her mind is so confusing, unfocused. Storm, fly over some buildings and tell us if you see anything."

Storm nodded. She shot up into the air and vanished into the hazy blackness. It wasn't too long before her voice was calling through the communicator. "Scott, Jean, I've found her. Get over here quick. I'm about where you said, Jean. Three hundred feet west. There's a long alley below me. The girl just disappeared down it, and I saw two men run after her."

Scott and Jean nodded and headed west. They found Storm easily enough. She was hovering about ten feet in the air, playing with the wind around her. She picked up the two men chasing the mutant girl and flung them out of the alley. They got up and scrambled away, screaming something about a witch. The mutant girl was cowering against a wall. She looked up at Storm, frightened and amazed.

Storm floated back down to the ground and stepped back to let Jean do the talking. Jean sent out calming thoughts as she slowly, carefully approached the frightened girl. She held her hands open in a symbol of peace.

"It's ok," she said calmingly. "We're here to help you. I'm Jean. What's your name?"

She took a step closer, now closing the distance between them to about ten feet. The girl looked at her with distrust. Her eyes were a dark brown, and her hair was curly and gingery. Her face would be very pretty if she hadn't frowning and glaring at Jean.

"I won't hurt you," Jean tried again when the girl didn't answer. "Let me help you."

She extended her hand now. It was only a few feet away from the girl. The young girl flinched and closed her eyes, as if expecting a blow.

"Zostaw mnie w spokoju," she cried, covering her face.

Jean paused with surprise. _Uh oh_, she thought. _This girl doesn't speak English._

oOo

**Ok, so you might be wondering what ethnicity this girl is, and I suppose you could copy the text into a translator and find out, but don't spoil the surprise! We get to find stuff out in the next chappie. BTW, the girl's just saying "Leave me alone," if anyone wants to know.**

**-The Ember Raven**


	2. Imber

**I'll Be There For You**

**Note: Thank you kgirl (as always) and fallenxmen for reviewing chapter 1. Here's chappie 2. Read on!**

oOo

**Chapter 2:**

"What are we going to do with her?" Scott asked, looking over at the others. Beside him were Storm, Jean, and Prof X. They were all in the Professor's office, standing around the girl they'd found in the slums. She was sitting on the floor near an overstuffed chair, looking at the three of them warily. She seemed confused and upset more than anything.

When they'd first found her, Jean had tried a telepathic communication after realizing she wasn't American and didn't know English. Telepathy failed, only agitating the girl further, but Storm and Scott managed to calm her down. Storm had tried every language she knew on the girl, trying to tell her she was safe. It didn't work, but the girl seemed to trust Storm, and at least was willing to go with her.

Now, she was at the mansion, and no one knew what to do. "I'm not sure, Scott," the Professor said, thinking. "Telepathic communication is useless, because our thoughts are also in English, and therefore meaningless to her. Storm, you've tried every language you know on her, yes?"

Storm nodded. "Yes, Professor, but I haven't been able to help. I know African languages. This girl is clearly European."

"Good point. Has anyone else come up with anything else? I realize the next step is to try to identify where she's from and maybe we can communicate to her with a computer, some sort of language translator, or…"

"Professor, did you ask Kurt to have a look at her?" Jean asked thoughtfully. Everyone turned to Jean.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Why? Kurt's German. If we thought she spoke German, that would be a great idea but"—

"No, Jean's _got_ a great idea," Storm interrupted. "Kurt is very gifted with languages, and German and English aren't all he knows. I've taught him Latin and Egyptian, and he knows several other languages besides those. If anything, Kurt would be the most qualified person to deal with the girl."

Jean and the Professor nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Ororo," the Professor said. "Please, go find Kurt and tell him to come here. Explain the situation, oh, and make sure he has his image inducer on. The last thing we want to do is frighten the poor girl any further."

"Right." Storm darted out of the room. The girl on the floor looked around, confused. She cringed as the door swung shut, making a loud bang.

"Co sie dzieje?" she asked to no one in particular.

Jean shook her head. "I hope Kurt can get through to her."

~In a certain blue elf's room~

Kurt was lying on his stomach on his bed, listening to music and reading a book. It was something Rouge had lent him, and despite being full of vampires and blood, it wasn't half bad. The music he was listening to was Evan's which wasn't the gr—

*Knock, knock*

Kurt looked up from his book. "Vas?" he said quietly to himself. "Uh, come in, please," he added, louder. He yawned. Who wanted to see him at ten at night?

Storm stepped into the room. "Kurt? We need you in the Professor's office. Now."

Kurt closed his book and pulled his headphones away from his ears. "Vhat? Vhy, Mrs. Munroe? A…am I in trouble?"

Storm motioned for Kurt to get up and come with her. "No, but follow me. Grab your image inducer and put it on."

As this, Kurt paused and looked at Storm. "Um, vhy? We're only going to the Professor's office, right?"

"Just get it, Wagner. I'll explain on the way."

So Kurt sighed, snatched his watch off his bedside table, and exited the room behind Storm. "Now vill you please explain vhat's going on?" he asked, sounding pushy but concerned.

He flicked on his inducer, changing from blue furred, pointy-eared, yellow eyed, and three fingered to pale skinned, brown eyed, five fingered. He wrapped his tail around his waist, so it wouldn't be visible.

"Well, a few hours ago, the Professor picked up on a new mutant, and we went out to go collect her," Ororo began.

"How come none of us vent?"

Storm shrugged. "The Professor wanted a small group to go. I just took Jean and Scott. Anyway, we found the girl and tried to get her to come back here, but unfortunately, she doesn't seem to understand English. The Professor, Jean, and I have all tried to communicate with her, but we've come up with nothing. We can't identify her language."

"And you asked me because…?"

"You're very good with linguistics," Storm replied. "You should have a fair chance. Besides, we know the girl's European, and that should give you some advantages. You know lots of European languages."

Kurt bit his lip. "I'll try my best."

The two walked into the Professor's office shortly. Everyone looked up when they entered. Storm returned to her place beside the Professor and nodded at Kurt. Kurt looked from Storm to the girl on the floor. She was scared, uncertain. Kurt knelt down to her level, but kept about ten feet away. She flinched and muttered, "Wyjechac."

Kurt came a bit closer. "It's ok," he murmured quietly. _Think Wagner_, he told himself as he struggled to understand her. He needed more…he couldn't identity her language based on a single word.

"What's your name?" he asked warmly, reaching out to touch her. He met the girl's eyes. She looked away.

"Wyjechac. Nie dotykaj mnie!"

Kurt took it in, realizing he wouldn't be able to elicit much more than interjections from her. _It sounds like…Polish_, he thought to himself.

He looked up at the others. "Polish. I think she's Polish," he said. "But, I'm not sure. And my Polish isn't great. I know a little."

"Try, Kurt," Storm encouraged.

"You can do it," Jean added.

Kurt nodded and looked back at the girl. He mustered all of his language expertise and gave it his best shot. "Czesc, jestem Kurt," he said. (Hi, I'm Kurt)

To his surprise, the girl stopped cowering and looked at him for the first time with interest. "M…mowisz Polska?" she asked. (You know Polish?)

Kurt nodded. "Jak masz na imie?" (What's your name?)

The girl sat up and looked around at everyone again. She looked back at Kurt. "Jestem Imber," (I'm Imber). "Co sie dzieje? Kim sa ci ludzie?" (What's happening? Who are these people?)

"It's ok," Kurt said calmingly, making 'calm down' gestures with his hands. He was getting the hang of this. He glanced at the Professor. "Her name's Imber. She's very confused."

"Tell her we won't hurt her," Storm said. The Professor nodded.

"Yes, and ask her how she came here. Is she from Poland or did she move to America and never learned the language?"

Kurt nodded. He addressed Imber again. "Chca wiedziec, skad jestes. Trzeba bylo sie przeprowadzic tutaj?" (Where are you from, they want to know. Did you move here?)

Imber shook her head. "Nie. Jestem sierota. Moi rodzice zgineli rok temu. Zyje w roznych miastach. I przybyl do Ameryki niedawno zaczac od nowa…" (No, I'm an orphan. My parents were killed years ago. I've been living in different towns. I came to America to start over.)

Kurt stopped her. "I can't listen that fast," her muttered. He looked at her and nodded, though, to say he understood.

"She's an orphan, and she's been on the run. She came to America to start over," Kurt reported to everyone else.

"Thank you, Kurt," the Professor said. "You're going wonderfully. Now, let's talk to her about becoming a student here."

~Later~

Kurt was exhausted. The Professor had used him to talk to Imber for almost two hours. His head hurt from thinking so much. He'd fallen short several times and not known what to say, but in general, he'd done a great job. Everyone had praised him like crazy for his work. Kurt crawled into bed (it was now almost one in the morning) and fell asleep instantly.

~The next morning~

Everyone was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Storm had made eggs and bacon—a school favorite. Kurt had managed to miserably drag himself out of bed to be present at breakfast. He was so tired.

"Hey, fuzzy," Kitty chuckled, pulling out a vacant chair next to hers. She looked into his bleary eyes. "Whoa. Someone looks like they didn't sleep well last night."

"Correction. Didn't sleep hardly at all," Kurt groaned, taking a seat. "I didn't go to sleep until freaking one A.M. And zen, I woke up at five and couldn't fall back asleep."

Kitty pouted. "My poor fuzzy. Well, good thing it's Sunday. You can go back to sleep after breakfast."

Kurt smiled and reached for the eggs. "Ja. My thoughts exactly, Keety."

"So, like, what kept you up until one in the morning?" Kitty asked, taking a bit of bacon. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't hear? Ve got a new student last night."

"Yeah, I did. So?"

Kurt shrugged. "She's Polish, and her name's Imber. She doesn't know any English. I spent last night trying to talk to her."

Kitty swallowed. "Oh? How'd that go?"

"Not bad. I'm not good at Polish, but I know enough."

Kitty went for her orange juice. "Like, I didn't even know you know any Polish, Kurt. Wow."

"Ja vell, I"—

Just then, Storm and the Professor entered the kitchen. Hiding behind them was Imber. The students all stopped eating, and the Professor regarded them warmly. He smiled. "Students, I'd like you all to welcome the newest student at the Institute. This is Imber Rzepka."

oOo

**Ok, I'm sure there's at least one Polish person out there reading this and going, "No, you idiot, that's not how it's done! Your Polish is crap." Well, I'm a beginner and I had to use a translator to help me with some parts of it. But I tried, really. Please don't hate on me!**

**Next chapter coming soon. I need some more reviews or I might have Imber and Kurt kiss in front of Kitty. Can't have that!**

**-The Ember Raven**


	3. Jealousy

**I'll Be There For You**

**Note: Here's chapter 3. Sorry it took me so long to get it up. BTW, thank you fallenxmen for critiquing my Polish, Sidney for commenting on this and pretty much all my other work, and kgirl for faithfully reading my stuff and just being awesome.**

oOo

**Chapter 3:**

Two weeks had passed, and Imber was fitting in nicely with the X-men. The language barrier between her and the other students proved to be little problem. Kurt, of course, helped translate whenever he was around, and Imber quickly picked up on the basics of English. After two weeks, she could stumble through a conversation with only minor issues.

Everyone liked Imber. She was shy, gentle, and funny. The teachers all adored her. Even Logan couldn't help but like her spunky attitude. The other students took a liking to her as well. Kurt, of course, quickly became the person she trusted and liked the most, but she also won over Evan, Rouge, Amara, Bobby, and a few of the younger students.

One morning, at breakfast, the students were discussing Senator Kelly's latest plan: registering mutants. Imber was sitting next to Kurt so she could keep up with what was going on. "Dude, Senator Kelly is gonna make things really hard for mutants," Evan was complaining.

"Yeah," Rouge grumbled. "Ah feel sorry fah all the mutants who are trying to lay low."

"Co powiedziala?" (What'd she say?) Imber asked Kurt.

"Rouge wskazal ze mutanty beda miec twardy czas ukrywal sie do nowego prawa," Kurt explained. Imber nodded.

"Yes," she said slowly. "Thees…law…ees bahd, prawo?" (This law is bad, right)

Several students nodded and growled in agreement. "Yeah."

"Totally."

"Hey, Imber," Evan said. He was sitting on her other side.

"Yeah?"

"If you want, you can join us in our Danger Room special after school," he offered with a grin.

"Whot's that?"

Rouge smiled. "We set up a whole obstacle course and on every target you're supposed tah hit, we've put ah picture of Senator Kelley, just fah fun. Yah know, tah get yah angah out and stuff."

"It…it sounds vun," Imber said.

"Great. You can join us."

Imber looked over to Kurt. "Are….do you do this? Tego rytualu? (This ritual)"

Kurt shrugged. "Not really. It's not my style."

"Style?"

"I nie podoba," Kurt explained. "T nie to, co zazwyczaj robie." (It's not what I usually do.)

Imber nodded. "Oh. Jak powiedziec 'nie chce isc?'" (How do I decline?)

"Say, 'No thanks' or 'I'll pass,'" Kurt said.

"I'll pass," Imber copied.

Kitty, who'd been quietly been sitting on Kurt's right side, snorted. Kurt glanced over at her. "Vhat?" he asked innocently.

"She didn't want to go just because you don't," Kitty noted with a touch of disdain. "I think you should push her to do stuff by herself."

Kurt raised his eyebrows. "I don't go everyvhere and translate everyzing for her," he argued. "She does plenty of stuff vithout me."

"Whatever, Kurt," Kitty sighed, going back to her breakfast.

~Later~

It was after school, and Kitty was studying for a Geometry test the next day. She was sitting in the library, reading through her huge textbook and groaning inside. "I'm totally gonna die," she whined.

"Vhat?" Kitty looked up to see Kurt somehow standing behind her. He smiled.

"How long have you been there, Kurt?"

He shrugged and slid into a chair beside her. "Only a moment. Zo, is this some sort of killer exam or vhat?"

Kitty giggled and pushed her book away. "Yeah," she said with a yawn. "Geometry and I aren't exactly good friends. We have problems that go waaaayy back."

Kurt spread his arms open invitingly and Kitty crawled into his lap. "M'tired of studying," she muttered.

Kurt nodded and breathed into her soft, chocolatey hair. "Ja. Vant some help?"

"Not at the moment. I'd rather sit here." She rested her cheek against Kurt's shoulder and tucked her hands under her head. Kurt smiled contentedly. Kitty looked so cute curled up. Her face was scrunched up a little and her hair was getting in her face, covering her closed eyes. She made happy little noises that Kurt enjoyed listening to. She was so warm and calm. He stroked her back with his one free hand (his other was pinned to his chest by Kitty's waist).

"Keety?"

"Yeah, Kurt?"

"Are you mad at me for somezing?" he asked quietly.

Kitty looked up from her repose. "No. Why?"

Kurt shrugged. "You just seemed kind of grumpy at breakfast, like you were mad about somezing. I dunno. Maybe it was nothing."

Kitty wiggled around and repositioned herself. "Kurt, I'm not mad at you about anything I promise."

"And you're not jealous?"

Kitty opened her eyes, but didn't move her head this time. "What are you talking about?" she said flatly.

"Are you jealous of Imber?"

Kitty scoffed now. Inside, she was cringing. "Like, why would I be jealous of her?" she said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"I don't know. I'm spending time vith her?" Kurt offered. "It just seemed like there was some negativity going on earlier."

"Kurt, please," Kitty said. "I am not in the least bit jealous of Imber because you're hanging out with her. It's fine. You two are friends. It doesn't bother me." Now, she was screaming inside, ripping herself up piece by piece.

"You sure?"

"Positive, Kurt. Imber's nice. I have no bad feelings toward her."

"I knew you wouldn't," Kurt said, relieved slightly.

"Yeah. Sure, Kurt." _God, I hate that bitch!_ Kitty screamed at the top of her mental lungs.

~A few days later~

"Alright, guys. Today's DR session is all about protecting the people around you," Logan said over the microphone. He was in the control room above the Danger Room, staring down on the students gathered below. Everyone was in full X-men uniform.

"Here's the way this works. Everyone get together in groups of four." And everyone started grouping together in little huddles. "Right. Now, these four people in your group all need protection. Everyone has to cover everyone else. The last group standing is the winner. Work together guys. Work together."

Kitty was with Kurt, which unfortunately for her meant Imber was in their group. Evan had tagged along as well. Kitty kept eyeing Imber. Imber was talking in Polish to Kurt, smiling and trying to understand what Logan had just said. The way Kurt talked to her, the way she moved, her wild red hair, her quirky, dimpled smile…Kitty couldn't stand anything about the whole situation. She looked away, repulsed.

Evan noticed. "What's the matter, Kitty?"

Kitty shrugged, swallowing down bitter tears. "Nothing. I'm just not looking forward to an hour of training."

Evan smiled absently and shrugged. "Yeah, me either, girl."

"Alright people. This session starts…now!" Logan called gruffly, and the room exploded with movement. Tentacles, balls, hammers, pendulums, moving wall sections shifted around the room, turning the calm area into a deathtrap. Students scattered. Immediately, Kurt shouted out some orders.

"Stay together," he said to the others. "We need to stay close to each other."

Kitty was by his side in a moment. "Yeah, like, does anyone have a plan other than stick together?"

Evan shrugged. "We watch each other's…whoops"—he ducked to avoid a swinging cable—"we watch each other's backs. That's good enough for me."

The session was difficult. Evan was out after only a minute. A giant hammer from the floor took him out easily. A few minutes later, Kurt got hit in the back by a stray projectile, putting him in out of the session as well.

Kitty and Imber were the only two left of their team.

Kitty phased through everything, keeping her safe. Imber used her powers to slow the air around her, giving her time to avoid incoming objects. They were both doing pretty well, but they were getting pushed back towards the edge of the room.

Just then, a giant arm came out of the wall. Kitty rolled away easily. A few feet away, another arm shot out towards Imber, who had her back turned. Kitty watched, knowing Imber wouldn't have time to avoid it. She stood there and did nothing. At the edge of the room, Kurt and Evan, were shouting, "Imber, move," but she couldn't hear them. A second later, the arm rammed Imber in the ribs and knocked her down with a loud thud. She lay on the ground motionless, then groaned pathetically.

Kurt and Evan ran over to her and made sure she was ok. Kurt helped her sit up. Her face was more shocked than anything, but she winced in pain.

"Ow," she muttered. "Hurts."

"She's bruised, but she'll be ok," Evan said after checking for injuries. Imber smiled.

"It's ok," she said. "Did we win?"

Kurt looked up, meeting Kitty's strangely calm eyes. "Nein," he growled. "We did not."

The session ended shortly thereafter, and everyone, groaning and complaining, stumbled out of the room. Kitty kept to herself. Evan helped Imber to the door. She still seemed dazed. Kurt came surreptitiously up beside Kitty and hissed at her, "Vhat's wrong vith you? Vhy did you do zat?"

Kitty blinked at him blankly, feigning ignorance. "What do you mean, Kurt?" she said.

Kurt balled his hands into fists. "I mean, vhy did you let Imber get hit by that machine?"

Kitty shrugged. "I couldn't do anything."

"You could have warned her. Phased through it to short-circuit it. Something. But you did nothing. She could have gotten hurt," Kurt said, his voice rising at the end.

"Well, it's over now. It's, like, not a big deal, Kurt."

Kurt stopped and let Kitty walk on. He seethed for a moment. _What's wrong with her?_ He thought angrily.

oOo

**Ha! Chapter 3 is finished. There's more coming. You all know where this story is going, and yes, there will be ImberxKurt stuff. Don't worry. Things should work out. Should. I might be cruel. You never know….mmmwwahahahahah! R&R.**

**-The Ember Raven**


	4. Heartbreak

**I'll Be There For You**

**Note: Yay chapter 4 is up! It's a miracle. I know you're all dying to know what happens. Will there be KurtxImber? *winks* Better read and find out. Love you guys.**

oOo

**Chapter 4:**

"Kurt?"

"Hmm?"

Kurt and Imber were sitting under a tree outside of the Institute, enjoying the warm weather. Imber was resting her head on Kurt's chest, which Kurt didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, Kurt didn't mind, and would have enjoyed the experience more if something hadn't been bugging him.

His and Kitty's fight a few days ago had ended badly. Kitty wouldn't talk to him, and he'd learned not to mess with angry girls. Things between them were bad, tensions were high. He'd sat beside her in class the other day, hoping she'd be willing to talk, only to find she was furious at him and would do nothing of the sort.

Kurt had given up for the moment. He didn't understand where, exactly, her anger was coming from. He knew that Imber was part of it, somehow. Kitty seemed jealous of her, but it didn't make sense. Kitty and Kurt were always just friends. It was ok if he liked Imber. He shook his head. He didn't get it.

"Somefing bozzering you?" Imber inquired softly. Her brown eyes were deep, beautiful, intelligent.

Kurt put on a smile. "Nothing much."

"Wass is eet?" she demanded, punching him lightly in the stomach.

"Ow, nothing. I was just…" he trailed off and sighed. His smile faded. "I was thinking about Keety," he said seriously. Imber folded her arms and put her chin on her hands. She studied Kurt's expression for a moment.

"She doesn't care foh me, yes?" Imber asked.

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. Kitty can be…complicated. I don't understand her sometimes." He put one arm around Imber. "I don't know exactly vhy she doesn't like you." He nuzzled her with his nose. "I can't imagine vhy anyone vouldn't like you."

Imber smiled at this.

"You should talk tah her. See what matter vith her."

Kurt bit on his lip. "Later," he said, pulling Imber closer to him. "I'd rather be here vith you right now."

~Elsewhere~

Kitty was in her room, eyeing a plate of food. Jean had brought it up to her in the hopes that she might eat, but Kitty didn't feel like eating. She was depressed.

"Shouldn't waste the food, though," Kitty muttered. She picked up the hot plate and took it downstairs to the kitchen. She hadn't eaten all day, and she'd hardly eaten the day before. The food smelled so good, so tempting. But no. She turned up her nose at it and finished marching downstairs.

In the kitchen, Storm was doing dishes. Kitty quickly put her untouched plate on the counter and turned to leave.

"Kitty," Storm's calm voice called. Kitty sighed and spun back around.

"Yeah, Mrs. Munro?"

"You didn't eat any of this," Storm said, examining the untouched plate. "Why not?"

"Wasn't hungry," Kitty mumbled. Her stomach growled just then, as if in rebellion.

Strom raised a white eyebrow. "You haven't eaten hardly anything in three days, Kitty. What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I…" Kitty sighed and closed her eyes. Storm was known for being a great listener and dispenser of good advice. Plus, she was an adult, and had seen and heard it all before. Maybe she could help. "It's complicated," Kitty said finally.

Storm leaned against the sink and nodded, guessing it was something emotional. "Tell me about it," she said, her voice calm but commanding.

"I'm having trouble with my relationship with Kurt," Kitty admitted quickly. She glanced around the kitchen once, as if expecting to see Kurt hiding somewhere she hadn't seen.

"How so?" Storm prompted.

Kitty averted her eyes, picking a spot on the floor and staring at it intently. "Well, he's been ignoring me lately. Like, a week ago I asked if he wanted to hang out, but he was so busy elsewhere"—she seemed to spit out the words—"that he had to, like, say no."

Storm easily picked up on Kitty's angry words. "Whatever he was doing 'elsewhere' seems to disagree with you, Kitty," she noted.

"Yeah," Kitty grumbled, crossing her arms. "Spending time with Queen Poland over there."

"Ah," Storm said, feeling like she was finally getting to the root of the problem. "So you're jealous of Imber?"

"Like, heck no," Kitty protested quickly. "Why would I be? Of her? Jeeze."

"It seems pretty obvious to me that you are, Kitty. Is it because she and Kurt have been spending time together lately?"

"Spending time together?" Kitty snapped. "They're like practically glued to each other. I've tried like five times to spend time with Kurt, but he's been too busy with Miss-Redheaded-Wonder to notice me! I've been his friend for two years and I'm getting dumped for some foreign chick he's known for a month? And the other day was the worst. We had this huge fight and he's mad at me and I'm kinda pissed at him. It's all messed up," Kitty said, calming down at the end. She sighed heavily. In a way, it felt good to get her anger and frustrations out.

Storm was silent for a minute while she thought. It made sense now. Kitty had been avoiding Kurt lately, and Storm was sure she'd heard Kurt recently complaining about Kitty being weird around Imber. Storm looked at Kitty for a moment and said, "I know you've had a crush on Kurt for a long time, Kitty. Do you feel like Kurt is getting to a, um, dating stage with Imber and that's really what's bothering you?"

"Yes," Kitty whispered. "And I just feel like I'm losing Kurt as a friend right now. Like we're drifting apart or something. I mean, I'm not thrilled that he's dating Imber, but I feel like she's taking him away from me as a friend, which is really driving me crazy. And she seems like she's having fun doing it," Kitty added bitterly.

"Oh, I don't think that's true," Storm threw in. "I think that's the jealousy talking. Imber is a very nice girl and I think if you talked to her about how you're feeling, she would understand and try to make things between you and her, and you and Kurt, better."

"I don't know, Mrs. Munroe. I...I can't say I haven't been part of the problem. I've been giving Kurt the cold shoulder for a few days. And I haven't been...always nice to Imber."

Storm looked Kitty in the eye. "Kurt is very forgiving. I think if you talk to him, you can work things out. But you need to talk to Imber, too, if you've been having a rocky relationship with her. You can fix these things, Kitty."

Kitty growled to herself. She didn't like the idea very much, but she didn't want things between her and Kurt to get any worse. "Ok," she resigned with a sigh. "What should I do?"

oOo

Kitty felt pretty confident. After a talk with Storm, she felt better about what she needed to do. She had to find Imber, pull her aside for a few minutes, and have a girl-to-girl conversation. Tell her how she felt. It seemed easy enough, but Kitty was still angry with Imber. Even talking with Storm hadn't completely dispelled her negative feelings, but Kitty was willing to try to get over her hard feelings and make things right, if possible.

She found herself outside, knowing that's where Imber most likely was.

Sure enough, she saw Imber sitting under a far-away tree. Kitty moved closer, seeing a second figure beside her. Kurt. She groaned. Would she be able to get Imber by herself, or would Kurt try to ruin her plan? Knowing Kurt, she doubted it. But still.

She was about forty feet away from the tree now, and could see both Imber and Kurt. The two of them were caught up in each other and didn't seem to notice her. She drew a few steps closer. Just then, she stopped dead.

Kurt had Imber resting on his stomach, and at that moment, he pulled her to him and they kissed passionately.

Kitty's heart jumped up into her throat. She exhaled slowly, her breath wavering. At her sides, her fists clenched and unclenched. God, Kurt was running his hands down her spine, smiling the whole time. Imber smiled back at him lovingly. At that point, Kitty snapped. She turned and ran away, fighting back angry, hot tears. Screw trying to fix things-Imber had just ruined them permantently. Damn her, damn her. Why?

Kitty buried her face in her hands and phased right through the front doors. She pushed past several flustered X-students as she dashed up to her room.

She threw herself onto her bed and curled up in a tight ball. She hugged her knees to her chest and cried her heart out.

oOo

**I know this was a short chapter, but I had to end it here for the sake of the story. And maybe for suspense. What will happen next? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**-The Ember Raven**


	5. Betrayal and Recovery

**I'll Be There For You**

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to post this last chapter. I've been having writer's block lately and I'm working hard to get into the Govie School, so I've been pretty busy. Anyway, here's the last chapter. Thank you to everyone who's been reading and posting reviews!**

oOo

**Chapter 5:**

Amazingly, Kitty was over her initial anguish in a day. Of course, she was still hurt, torn, and bleeding deep inside, but she convinced herself after a very short period of horror and pain that it was ok for Kurt to fall in love, and that she'd just have to accept it. A part of her brain was suspicious and hateful of Imber, but she told herself that was normal and all part of the process.

_I can, like, just go up to Imber and tell her I'm sorry for the way I've been acting_, Kitty thought resolutely one day. She had been immature and irrational at times, but only because she was afraid of losing Kurt, so it seemed justified. I'll _just tell her how I feel, like Storm suggested_. She felt like Storm would be proud of how she was acting and handling herself.

So Kitty, who'd been thinking on her bed, got up and made her way downstairs. _Please don't let me stumble across something awkward like last time_, she added mentally, not wanting a repeat of the Kurt/Imber kiss moment she'd witnessed a few days before.

After Imber, she'd talk to Kurt. Kurt had attempted to talk to her the day after she saw the 'horrible, unspeakable thing', but she'd been too distraught to want to talk. She hoped she hadn't screwed things up between herself and Kurt permanently.

Just then, Jean ran right past Kitty. Kitty lost balance for a moment, then caught herself. "Whoa, like, where's the fire?" she asked.

Jean stopped to catch her breath. She said, "The Brotherhood's making a mess downtown. We're going out there. Get in your uniform and be in the garage in five."

"Oh," Kitty said, watching Jean run off again. _Well, Imber'll just have to wait_, she thought. And she ran off upstairs to get into her X-men apparel.

Five minutes later, the X-men were all waiting in the garage. Kitty stood by Evan and watched Kurt and Imber from afar. Kurt and Imber, and pretty much everyone else, were all worked up. Kurt kept talking excitedly to Imber. He looked up for a moment, caught Kitty's eye, and looked away quickly. _Crap_, Kitty thought.

"Alright. Everyone get in the van," Scott called, waving the keys around on his finger. Everyone quickly piled in. Kitty got squished between Evan and Bobby. Bobby was all iced up, and freezing cold. Kitty sighed miserably. _Good thing Scott has a lead foot_.

A few minutes later, the van stopped near a bunch of old warehouses. Everyone looked out curiously before getting out of the van. Kitty looked around, thinking it looked like a good place for a horror movie. Eerie sounds from the buildings settling added to the effect.

It wasn't long before they heard the tell-tale signs of trouble. First, the ground started shaking and rumbling, and then Blob's voice could be heard above the noise.

The team ran in the direction of the noise.

The Brotherhood boys—plus Mystique—were wrecking an old warehouse building. It wasn't clear why they were doing it, but they were tearing up parts of the nearby roads and buildings by doing so. That was enough for the X-men. They sprang into action.

Evan and Kitty went for Toad. Scott, and some of the others went after Avalanche and Blob. Kurt and Bobby went after Mystique. The fight was short. Blob and Toad retreated under the constant assault, and Scott managed to knock Avalanche out with a well-aimed eye-blast. Mystique, Toad, and Blob looked around, realizing they were outmatched. Then, Mystique's eyes met Imber's, and she cried out, "Imber! Nam Pomac!" (Help us!)

Imber froze uncertainly. The other X-men froze as well, trying to understand what had just happened. Imber looked from her "friends" to Mystique, her face twitching nervously.

"I…Imber," Kurt said very quietly from nearby. Imber lowered her head in shame.

"Come on!" Mystique urged, waving her over. Imber looked back and forth, as if torn. Her eyes met Kurt's for a moment. Kurt's eyes were pleading, hurt. He didn't understand.

He took a step closer to her. "Imber, what's going on? You work vith Mystique?" he asked, his voice quiet and shaky.

Imber had trouble meeting his golden eyes again. She nodded. "I have to."

"No you don't. Vhy?"

Imber glanced over at Mystique. "She found me, helped me. Taught me how to fight and control my powers. She…sent me out so zat you might find me, and so I could….spy on you." Her voice was almost inaudible. "Kurt, I'm sorry. I didn't vant to, after a while. I…I love you."

Kurt felt something harden inside his heart, and the words fell of deaf ears. He turned away, battling to keep himself together. _Why, why, why?_ He closed his eyes. "Nein. You don't. Go," he hissed.

Imber drew back at the harshness of his words. She lowered her eyes and slowly turned to go.

"I…I'm with you," she whispered to Mystique as she approached. Mystique nodded at Blob and Toad, who retreated. The X-men were in too much shock to react. They watched the Brotherhood get away and did nothing.

No one spoke. No one really wanted to speak, to break the awkward, painful silence. Everyone's thoughts were about the same. _Why?_

Kitty's mind went crazy. A tiny part of her was happy. Kurt was no longer with her. _No, bad_, she corrected. That was selfish. Kurt was hurting. The whole thing was terrible—he'd just lost his girlfriend; she worked for Mystique. Kitty's heart went out to him. _Kurt, I'm sorry_, she thought, hoping he heard her on some level.

~Later~

Kurt was lying on his stomach on his bed, his tail swishing back and forth sadly. His face was buried in his hands, his shoulders were hunched, and he was shaking slightly. Kitty stayed in the doorway for a second, not sure whether to come in or not. She took a deep breath and decided to phase herself all the way inside and make her presence known. As soon as she started walking towards him, Kurt looked up, his eyes wide and sad.

He looked away, his face contorting into a scowl. "Go avay, Katzchen," he said quietly, his voice a mere whisper. Undeterred, Kitty came a few steps closer, close enough to touch him. She sat down on the side of the bed and put her hands in her lap.

"Look, Kurt," she said with a nervous sigh. "I'm really sorry…about all of this. Like, I know you really liked her, and I was acting weird because of it, and I shouldn't have. I'm just sorry it didn't work out with you guys, and that I didn't do anything except…I dunno, be an ass."

Kurt was looking down and away from her, but his face had softened to something sad and lonely. His tail flicked back, hitting her against the leg. Kitty wasn't sure what that meant.

"You ok?" _Dumb question, Pryde_, she thought to herself. _Does he look ok to you?_

Kurt shrugged nonchalantly, still looking away. "I guess." His voice was deadpan, strange for him.

"I wish we'd found her first," Kitty said quietly after a brief silence. "Maybe we could have changed things."

Kurt looked up, not quite meeting Kitty's eyes, but at least his face was visible. His expression was hard to read. "Vhat does zat mean?"

"Well, I mean, the Brotherhood found her before we did, and they convinced her to join them as a spy. Maybe if we'd gotten to her before them, she would have been different," Kitty suggested. "I think she would have been great with us."

"Yeah," Kurt sighed, his eyes flickering up to meet Kitty's for a moment. "But zat didn't happen. Und we'll probably pay for it, now zat she's told zem everyzing about us."

Kitty reached out and put her hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Do you hate her?"

His face twitched. "Nein. Do you?"

Kitty shrugged. "Not now. I did before, but that was just stupid. I see what happened to her, and I can't hate her. I mean, the Brotherhood found her and took advantage of her ignorance. I don't think what she did was evil or anything. She was just afraid."

Kurt reached up and put one of his hands over Kitty's. "Danke, Keety," he muttered. "I didn't zink you vould understand."

"It took me a while. Just had to get my feeling sorted out."

"I'm glad you did," Kurt said.

Kitty smiled a tiny bit, glad to see Kurt perking up. "So…we're still friends, right?" she asked, nudging him lightly.

Kurt cracked a small grin. "Ja. Of course."

"Even though I was a jerk to you a couple of times?"

"Ja, ja. S'ok."

Kitty grinned and pulled Kurt into an awkward hug. Kurt didn't seem to mind. He smiled to himself and wrapped his arms around Kitty's waist.

~A few months later~

Things had gone back to normal at the Institute. Imber was not forgotten—the X-men saw her out with the Brotherhood now and then—but overall everyone understood her insecurity, and let it go. Kurt slowly healed and opened back up. It wasn't long before he was in a relationship with a certain someone….

"Kurt!" Kitty was running down one of the long halls in the dorms, her hair trailing behind her. "Give me back my sunglasses."

Kurt was waiting for her at the other end of the hall, grinning hugely, and wearing Kitty's big, black shades. "You vant? Come und get zem!" he taunted, scampering off. Kitty growled and stormed after him, finally managing to tackle him to the ground.

Kurt ended up on his back, with Kitty on top of him. "Vell, this is interesting," he mused.

"Just give me my shades," Kitty said, reaching for them. Kurt ripped them off his face and held them out at arm's length.

"You vant zem?"

"Yes."

Kurt wiggled his eyebrows, thinking. He suddenly sat up and kissed her on the tip of the nose, making Kitty blush. She chuckled. "A kiss for the sunglasses?" she asked.

"Ja. I'm satisfied." He brought the sunglasses closer, putting them on Kitty's face with his hand. "Zere." Kitty, satisfied, kissed him on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck.

After a moment, Kitty sat back, finding herself perched right over his waist. "That might have been worth stealing my sunglasses for," she remarked, her cheeks still lightly tinted pink.

"If zat's what I get for stealing your glasses," Kurt said, sitting up himself, "vhat would I get for stealing your shirt?"

"No!" Kitty cried hugging herself protectively. "No touchy!"

Kurt crawled out from under her and got to his feet. "Kidding."

"You better be," Kitty growled, keeping one hand over her chest.

Kurt grinned. "Relax, Katzchen." He pulled her up and into a hug. He felt her warm arms, her beating heart, her pulsing chest. He sighed, happy. "I love you," he whispered into her ear.

Kitty smiled. "You too, fuzzy," she replied. _I've always loved you, Kurt_, she added mentally, closing her eyes and letting herself relax against his warm chest.

*Fin*

**Ok, I hope the ending wasn't too sudden or too cheesy or whatever. All I have to say is, I didn't really like the way this turned out, for some reason. I think this is one of those stories that sounds good in theory, but is harder to execute on paper—er, computer. Whatever. You know what I mean. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

**-The Ember Raven**


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